Sean and I each went to Europe with $4,200. Between the two of us we returned with more than half of our total - what’s left of mine is seen in my online bank statement seen above.

For both of us, that was very nearly everything cent we had in savings. We each returned to find jobs and homes and begin payment on student loans (Sean’s thoughts, too). Though a lot of ground needs to be made to begin our lives, fortunately we returned with some savings.

How’d we do it? After some budget crunching abroad and some more on my own, I have figured out my expenses. Get a rough sense of the costs of a backpacking trip like ours, using the totals from my $4,200.